Volvo’s autonomous trucks tackle mining operations

Six autonomous trucks will move limestone about 5km from the pit to the crusher, through outdoor and enclosed spaces It might not be as flashy as a supercharged Tesla racing up the motorway with no hands on the wheel, but Volvo Trucks’ new contract to haul limestone at a mine in Norway could be more impactful.… Continue reading Volvo’s autonomous trucks tackle mining operations

Subsidised plug-in cars driven on fuel

Tens of thousands of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) bought with generous government grants may be burning as much fuel as combustion-engine cars. ​Data compiled for the BBC suggests that such vehicles in corporate fleets averaged just 40 miles per gallon (mpg), when they could have done 130. Many drivers may never have unwrapped their charging cables,… Continue reading Subsidised plug-in cars driven on fuel

Stoneacre acquires three more Mill Garage sites

The Stoneacre Group has followed up its takeover of Mill Garages’ Sunderland site by acquiring three further outlets in Harrogate, Newcastle and Stockton. The deal sees Stoneacre adding to its portfolio of Volvo outlets. It now oversees 8 sites. “Everyone at Mill Garages is delighted to have joined forces with the fantastic Stoneacre brand,” said… Continue reading Stoneacre acquires three more Mill Garage sites

Luminar nabs former Uber executive to lead LiDAR startup’s business development

Luminar, the buzzy LiDAR startup founded by Austin Russell, has added another high-profile executive to its ranks. This time, Luminar has hired Uber executive Brent Schwarz as its head of business development. Schwarz, who has been at Luminar for about two months now, comes from Uber by way of self-driving truck startup Otto, which acquired… Continue reading Luminar nabs former Uber executive to lead LiDAR startup’s business development

Volvo invests in mobile charging company FreeWire

Volvo has acquired a stake in San Francisco-based mobile charging company FreeWire Technologies via the Volvo Cars Tech Fund. While Volvo does not plan to own charging or service stations directly, it says the investment reflects its support for user-friendly charging options as electric mobility continues to grow. “To support wider consumer adoption of electric… Continue reading Volvo invests in mobile charging company FreeWire

Cadillac’s $1,800 a month car subscription service is shutting down — for now

General Motors is canceling its $1,800 a month Cadillac car subscription service and is shutting down by the end of the year, reports The Wall Street Journal. The Book by Cadillac service debuted early last year and follows a similar subscription model to Rent The Runway, which allows customers to drive different Cadillac models each… Continue reading Cadillac’s $1,800 a month car subscription service is shutting down — for now

Press Release No. 24/2018 – Vehicle registrations in October 2018

Date 02.11.2018 Flensburg, November 2, 2018. In October 2018, 252,682 Passenger cars (Cars) newly registered. That is -7.4 percent less than in the same month last year. The share of private registrations was 36.3 percent (-10.1%). In the first ten months of this year, a total of 2,926,046 new passenger cars registered a plus of… Continue reading Press Release No. 24/2018 – Vehicle registrations in October 2018

Volvo and Baidu team up to build self-driving cars for China

Volvo/Baidu It’s not just Ford that’s working with Baidu to develop self-driving cars for the Chinese market — Volvo has also revealed its team-up with the tech giant. While Ford announced the partnership earlier, the Swedish luxury automaker says it’s the “first foreign car maker to collaborate this closely with Baidu” when it comes to… Continue reading Volvo and Baidu team up to build self-driving cars for China

DeepMap, a maker of HD maps for self-driving, raised at least $60M at a $450M valuation

As car and tech companies continue to make inroads on vehicles and services to build autonomous driving systems, a startup that is creating high-definition maps to help these vehicles move around has quietly picked up a significant round of funding. DeepMap — a Palo Alto startup co-founded by James Wu and Mark Wheeler, who previously… Continue reading DeepMap, a maker of HD maps for self-driving, raised at least $60M at a $450M valuation